The old High School building at 700
Melba Avenue in Gladewater, Texas was originally built in the early
thirties. It was the Junior and Senior High School
serving grades seven thru twelve. At that time, prior to integration, black students attended Weldon High
School in Gladewater.

A new, detached, Gymnasium was added in 1954. It
was located on the northeast side of the original structure across the intersection
of Wood Street and Virginia Avenue. Designed by the architect and
engineer Preston
M. Geren of Fort Worth and completed in August at a cost of
$200,000, the gymnasium was considered one of the most ultra modern of its kind.1

The
two story building has five exits, is constructed of buff brick,
measures 131 by 149 feet with a post free bow string type roof and had
an acre and a half of parking in the rear. The court floor, at street
level is a 114 feet wide, 96 of which is the main basketball court with
two 84 foot practice courts with electrically retractable backboards
running sideways.1

With eight rows of permanent seating
for 650 on the second level of the southwest side and roll-away type
seats for another 1368 the gymnasium had a total seating capacity of
over 2000 for sporting events. For assemblies and other uses floor
seating could be utilized to increase the capacity considerably.1

Permanent and roll-away seating on the southwest side of
the Gymnasium - ca. 1956Photo courtesy GHS 1957 Yearbook

It
was also designed with separate dressing rooms and facilities on the
second floor and staircases leading to the court for both home on the
west side and visiting teams on the east. It also featured a press box on the first level to
accommodate sports writers, radio and a public address system.1

Roll-away seating on the northeast side of the Gymnasium - ca. 1959Photo courtesy GHS 1960 Yearbook

One
of the first non school related uses for the gymnasium came on April 30,
1955 when Elvis, Scotty and Bill performed there along with
the cast of the Louisiana Hayride during one of their remote broadcasts,
this one sponsored by the Gladewater
Junior Chamber of Commerce, the Jaycees. Several times a year KWKH took the
Hayride on the road when the Municipal Auditorium
was used for other events. It was likely used on the 30th as part of
Shreveport's annual Holiday
in Dixie festival which started on the 27th though the Hayride was
on the road for the third time that month. The Saturday before they
performed and broadcast from Waco while on April
2nd they did it from Houston.

The
show in Gladewater had been heavily promoted and tickets wear available
in advance from the Jaycees direct and also by mail. As indicated
on the coupon and probably ticket itself as well, the show was for
"White Only."

JC's Name Teams
To Sell Hayride Advance Tickets

The Gladewater Junior Chamber of Commerce today named teams and captains
in their ticket sales campaign for the Louisiana Hayride show which
appears here Saturday night.
April 30.
Chuck Miller, ticket chairman, said the JC`s have approximately 2,500
tickets for sale. The show to appear here will make its regular Saturday
night radio broadcast from the high school gymnasium in Gladewater. This
is one of the few times which the Hayride has left its home base at
Shreveport.
Admission prices are $1.00 for adults. 50 cents for children.
Persons wishing to buy tickets may contact any of the following JC's
listed below in teams:
Team 1: Gail Irvin, captain; Jack Reeves, Don Smith, James Gelvin,
Marvin Taliaferro, Eudell Twilley.
Team 2: Harold McDowell, captain; Taylor Jobe, Charles Gilpin, Glenn
White, S. M. Thomas, John McMinn.
Team 3: Ed Calloway, captain; Bernard Davidson, Billy Melton, Tom
Perryman, Odell Cook, Ezz Basil Dollins.
Team 4: Hal Long, captain; Bob Lee, Ray Die, Donald Johnson, J. G.
Williams, Jr., Glenn Walton, Thomas McMinn.
Team 6: Virgil Strange, captain; Howard Daniels, Hulan Roberts, Charles
Whitehurst, Dowell Bushnell.

A Cast of over 40 hillbilly music performers will be present here
Saturday night, April 30, when the well-known Louisiana Hayride comes to
Gladewater with its 3 1/2 hour radio program.
Ticket sales for the show are going fast, the club reports. Already over
$600 in tickets has been sold.
The cast for the show here will include the following list of well-known
artists: Elvis Pressley and band; Jim Reeves and band; Johnny Horton,
Jimmy Newman and band, Billy Walker, Tibby Edwards, Bundy Attaway, Jack
Ford, J. E. and Maxine Brown, Hoot and Curley, Betty Amos, Jeanette
Hicks, Jimmy and Wayne, Floyd Cramer and Jimmy Day and band, and the
Lump Lump boys.
Announcers will be Horace Logan, Frank Page and Norm Bale.
Time of the show will be 8 P.M. to 11:30 P.M. in the Gladewater High
School auditorium. Arrangements are being made to seat 2500 people.ELVIS PRESLEY, Sun Recording artist, and more than 40 nationally
known folk music artists will appear with the Louisiana Hayride at the
High School Gymnasium in Gladewater on April 30th. Elvis` unique style
has earned him the title of "The Bopping Hillbilly." Certainly
his arrangements are unusual and his two-piece band, SCOTTY and BILL
has set an instrumental style that is being widely copied.
Some of his recordings include “That's Alright," "Blue Moon
of Kentucky," and his latest "You're a Heartbreaker. "
Elvis, Scotty and Bill live in Memphis, Tennessee.

All Gladewater Jaycee members will turn in their tickets Friday for the
Louisiana Hayride Show to be presented here Saturday night, it was
announced today by ticket sale chairman Chuck Miller.
After Friday, tickets may be bought from Miller at McKaig Chevrolet Co.,
Marvin Taliaferro at Wacker's or from Jack Reeves at Reeves Magnolia.
Tickets will be sold at the gymnasium beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday.
Jaycees reminded the public that only a limited number of tickets will
be available at the door Saturday night, and urged that persons planning
to attend get their tickets from any Jaycee member between now and
Friday.
At present, about 1,300 tickets have been sold. Arrangements are being
made to seat about 2,500.
Jaycees are asked to turn their tickets in Friday to either Miller or
Don Smith.
Work details will be called at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
to get the gym ready for the show. A tar paper covering is to be placed
on the gym floor to protect it from being scratched by chairs. Jaycees
will lay this covering and set up the stage and other work necessary
before the big 31/2 hour show comes here.
The Hayride nationally known hillbilly radio show from radio station
KWKH in Shreveport, La. will present its full Saturday night show from
the Gladewater gym. The show will be broadcast over KWKH, and the
regular half-hour CBS nationwide hookup will be broadcast from here
also.
This is one of a very few times the Hayride has left Shreveport, and the
first time a town as small as Gladewater has had the show.
The show will feature over 40 well known hillbilly radio and recording
stars in its appearance here. An overflow crowd is expected.JOHNNY HORTON, "The Singing' Fisherman," is one of the
stars of the Louisiana Hayride, which will present some of the country's
foremost folk artists in a 3 1/2 hour radio-stage show at the Gladewater
High School gymnasium on Saturday, April 30. Well-known to the thousands
who see and hear the Hayride each week, Johnny has also built a wide
following among country music fans through his records. These include
"First Train Heading South," "S. S. Lure Line,"
Ha-Ha and Moon Face" and "Train With the Rumba Beat."

Slim Whitman, above, "The Smiling Starduster" is one of the cast of more than 40 radio and recording artists who will appear with the Louisiana Hayride at the Gladewater High School Gymnasium in Gladewater on Saturday, April 30.
Slim skyrocketed to stardom about three years ago with his recording of "Indian Love Call", which sold more than a million copies and won him the coveted Gold Record Award. Since
that time he placed many tunes on the Hit Parade of country music and has toured throughout the United States and Canada. His more recent records, which are released through Imperial, include Beautiful Dreamer", "Secret Love", "Rose Marie" and "Keep It A Secret."
Others to appear here on the big 3 1/2 hour radio broadcast-stage show include the following such well known hillbilly acts as Elvis Presley and band, Jim Reeves and band, Johnny Horton, Jimmy Newman and band, Billy Walker, Tibby Edwards, Buddy Attaway, Jack Ford, J. E. and Maxine Brown, Hoot and Curley, Betty Amos, Jeanette Hicks, Jimmy and Wayne, Floyd Cramer and Jimmy Day and band, and the Lump Lump boys.
Announcers from KWKH and the big Saturday night Hayride will be Horace Logan, Frank Page and Norm Bale.
Members of the Gladewater Junior Chamber of Commerce will have tickets for sale until tomorrow for the show. Members have been instructed to turn in their tickets to JC chairman Chuck Miller at McKaig Chevrolet, JC president Jack Reeves at Reeves Magnolia, and
Marvin Taliaferro at Wackers. Some tickets will be available at the door Saturday beginning at 6 P.M., although it is not known how many.
Persons planning to attend the show here beginning at 8 P.M. Saturday should get tickets by tomorrow to secure having a seat. The show will be at the Gladewater High School Gymnasium, with around 2500 people expected.

JIM
REEVES--One of the country's foremost folk artists, is one of more than
40 radio and recording stars who will appear with the Louisiana Hayride at
the Gladewater High School gymnasium on Saturday, April 30, Jim, a former
professional baseball player and radio announcer, became a national star in
the country music field when he recorded "Mexican Joe." Since
that time his Abbot recording of "Bimbo" and "Penny
Candy" have added o his fame. A few months ago, Jim made a tour of
U.S. military bases in Europe as one of a USO unit. On his return he was
featured on Ed Sullivan's "Toast of the Town." He has just
recently returned from an extended tour of the West Coast and Mountain
States. Tickets for the Hayride can now be bought from Chuck Miller at
McKaig Chevrolet, Jack Reeves at Reeves Magnolia Station, or Marvin
Taliaferro at Wackers.

Lee Cotten wrote that the weekend of the show, there was not a vacant hotel or motel room in
Gladewater. A half-hour portion of the show was broadcast nationwide on
the CBS radio network, and the entire evening was aired on KWKH in
Shreveport and KTHS in Little Rock.2

Elvis with borrowed Martin D-28 at the Gladewater H.S.
Gymnasium - Apr. 30, 1955
If player doesn't work
click here for mp3Photo courtesy Hal Long and Lee Cotten

Each of the artists performed several times over the
course of the show but not all performed during the first 30 minute CBS broadcast. Elvis, Scotty and Bill were scheduled to but
Cotten also wrote that, according to the recollections of several Louisiana Hayride
personnel including Horace Logan and Frank Page, Elvis was late arriving for this show, and he had time to sing only one
song. Scotty and Bill were said to have not been there at all. With
little time remaining Elvis was allowed to go on last and perform a quick,
two minute version of Tweedlee
Dee, a song recorded by LaVerne Baker the year before
and written by Winfield Scott, coincidentally a namesake of Scotty's first
and middle names.2

THE PEOPLE CAME FROM MILES AROUND - A sea of rapt faces focus on stage as KWKH's hillbilly performers go through paces of Louisiana Hayride Saturday Night

Mirror Photo courtesy Lanny Medlin

A recording of that song from Gladewater, as
described, exists and has since
been released on various
compilations. However, as Cotten
suggests, events may be misremembered and/or confused with
their second appearance there. As
is apparent, Scotty and Bill were definitely present, and by all
indications gave a rousing, full-length performance.2
Elvis was again pictured playing borrowed guitars, either from
lack of tuning or broken strings on his own as was the norm. One was a Martin D-28, possibly
from Jim Ed Brown, and the other a Gibson from Betty Amos.

PINT SIZE ELVIS PRESLEY - It was hard to tell who
the girls were squealing for when Royce Hanson, 3 1/2 year old
youngster from Tyler, got onstage with his imitation of the
"Bopping Hillbilly," Elvis Presley. - Apr. 30, 1955

The Louisiana Hayride presentation in Gladewater Saturday night was
classed a major success by the Junior Chamber of Commerce, which
sponsored the show here. Approximately 3,000 persons jammed the new
Gladewater High Scool gymnasium for the 3 1/2 hour show, and hundreds
were turned away for lack of seats.
Visitors from all over the Ark-La-Tex area came to the Hayride in its
first appearance in a city as small as Gladewater.
The Jaycees, will net about $1,300 as their part of the proceeds,
according to tentative estimates. A final figure has not been announced,
pending settlement of all bills, etc.
It was "middlin' warm" in the gym, which is un-airconditioned,
and spectators turned programs and anything handy into makeshift fans.
A highlight of the show was the appearance of Royce Hanson of Tyler, 3
1/2 year old "Elvis Presley, Jr." The youngster caught the
crowd's eye with his mimicry of the Hayride star, using a pee-wee size
guitar or ukulele. The announcer finally conceded and brought the boy
onstage, complete with cowboy boots and knee wobbling.

NO SMOKING -- Jaycee member Hal Long paraded
around the crowd during Louisiana Hayride show bearing a
"No Smoking, Please" sign. Hall of smoke would have
finished stifling fan-wielding crowd of 3,000 which jammed GHS
gymnasium Saturday night.

Mirror Photo courtesy Lanny Medlin
and Gladewater Public Library

Bill E. Burk wrote that
Art Attaway remembered a show in the Gladewater gym.
"My friend and I had just started getting into music about then," said
Attaway. "He was playing guitar and I was playing banjo. After the show,
we went backstage to talk with Elvis.
He didn’t have security people surrounding him at the time. “We were
talking music with him, asking him how long it had taken him to get
where he was. We asked him what key he played in and he laughed and said, 'Any key I
can hit.'
"We walked him to that pink Cadillac and there was popcorn all over that
car." 3

They had appeared at the Cotton Club in
Lubbock the night before and were in New Orleans the next day for
three shows at the Municipal Auditorium.
The following August Elvis, Scotty, Bill and DJ performed at the
Gladewater Baseball Park and on November 19, 1955, were back
at the High School for another remote broadcast of the
Hayride.

LIVE BROADCAST
Hayride Show Here Saturday

All the big stars of KWKH’s Louisiana Hayride show will be here in
person Saturday night, when the entire show is broadcast from the stage
of the local high
school auditorium.
Elvis Presley and the entire Saturday night cast are slated to appear.
This is the second live broadcast of the Hayride, popular hillbilly
radio show, from Gladewater. Both shows have been sponsored by the
Gladewater junior Chamber of Commerce.
Tickets are now on sale for the show, and a large crowd is expected. At
the first performance here, an overflow crowd, with people coming from
all over the Southwest, jammed the local gym, and the JC’s cleared over
$1,500 on proceeds of the show. This money has been spent for numerous
civic projects in Gladewater, including
assistance in the Little League baseball program, and other things for
the betterment of the community.
Proceeds from tomorrow night's show will be used for similar projects.
Special souvenir programs are being printed for the show, and will be
sold at the show. A feature of the program is a large picture of Elvis
Presley, a big drawing card with the Hayride show.
The public is invited to attend the show.

Like preliminary articles for the first show, the paper
listed this show in the auditorium as well. Lee Cotten wrote that this show was again in the gym
and that by this time,
deejay Tom
Perryman had been elected president of the local chapter of
the Jaycees. He had learned a few important lessons after April’s
over-crowded show, the most important of which was to set aside about
1,000 chairs in a reserved section on the floor of the gym. As before, thirty minutes of the four-hour show was broadcast
over the CBS radio network, with the entire show airing in several
markets, including Shreveport.2

According to Peter Guralnick, the songs they performed include Baby Let's Play House,That's All Right, and Bill
Haley's Rock Around the Clock.4
Having appeared at the Reo Palm Isle in
nearby Longview the night before, this was the last time they performed
in Gladewater and East Texas.

The Gladewater schools were integrated by 1969 and by the early eighties a modern
new Junior and Senior High School was built across town. The
former school is still in use as the Gladewater Middle School and is
part of the Gladewater
ISD.

The
Gymnasium has been renamed the Richard Fenton Gymnasium. Though of no relevance,
but an interesting sidenote nonetheless, the gymnasium architect's
son, Preston
M. "Pete" Geren, III is a former member of the United
States House of Representatives from Texas and served as the 20th United
States Secretary of the Army.

This page is the result of the
cooperation with Lanny Medlin and his extensive research. Lanny is a native of East Texas and regularly publishes
the results of his research on its history in
Lanny
Medlin's Albums.

1
according to Gladewater to Build $200,000 Gym -The Longview Sunday News Journal - Sports,
Feb 28, 19542
excerpt from or according to "Did
Elvis Sing in Your Hometown?" by Lee Cotten3 excerpt from "Early
Elvis: the Sun Years" by Bill E. Burk4 according to
"Elvis
Day by Day" by Peter Guralnick and Ernst Jorgensen

All photos on this site (that we
didn't borrow) unless
otherwise indicated are the property of either Scotty Moore or James V.
Roy and unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited.